What's new and notable in suburban theater

O'Neill in Oak Brook

Goodman isn't the only theater showcasing Eugene O'Neill this season. First Folio Theatre tackles "A Moon for the Misbegotten," O'Neill's drama about a quick-witted young woman, her calculating father and their dissolute landlord, the alcoholic James Tyrone. Artistic director Alison C. Vesely directs a cast that includes Jeff Award winner Larry Neumann Jr.

Opens Saturday, April 4, at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 1717 31st Street, Oak Brook. (630) 986-8067 or firstfolio.org.

In time for Easter

The Improv Playhouse presents "The Gathering," Josephine Forsberg's contemporary take on the Last Supper, in which the 12 disciples spend a final hour with their teacher.

Through April 11 at 735 N. Milwaukee Ave., Libertyville. (847) 968-4529 or improvplayhouse.com.

A peach of a play

Two Beans Production's stage adaptation of Roald Dahl's "James and the Giant Peach," about an isolated young boy who takes a magical journey, comes to the Paramount Theatre for a limited run.

Performances at 9:30 and 11:45 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, April 9, at 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. (630) 896-6666.

• Village Players Theatre's production of "Driving Miss Daisy," about the unlikely friendship between an elderly southern matriarch and her black chauffeur, opens Friday, April 3, at 1010 Madison St., Oak Park. Betty Scott-Smith and Renardo Johnson star. (866) 764-1010 or village-players.org.

• "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)," which promises to deliver the playwright's 154 sonnets and 27 plays in two hours, opens Friday, April 3, at Gorilla Tango Theatre, 1919 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago. (724) 433-8714 or gorillatango.com.

• Last year's sold-out, late-night variety and burlesque show "Literally Sexy" returns to the Victory Gardens Biograph Theater for two nights Friday, April 3 and 10. The adults-only "Literally Sexy II" features drag, comedy and erotica. (773) 871-3000 or victorygardens.org.

• "The Spew," a sendup of TV's "The View," returns to the Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora. Performances run at 8 p.m. Saturdays through June. (630) 896-6666 or paramountaurora.com.

• Steppenwolf Theatre ensemble member Tina Landau directs the company's first ever Shakespeare production, "The Tempest." Frank Galati stars as Prospero, deposed Duke of Milan, who lives with his daughter Miranda on a near-deserted island where he uses magic to exact revenge on the brother who betrayed him. The production opens Saturday, April 4, at 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Neil Giuntoli's "Hizzoner," a look at the life and times of "da mare" Richard J. Daley, who ran Chicago's political machine during the 1960s and 1970s, returns to the Theatre Building Saturday, April 4. Performances of the long-running comedy continue through May 17. (773) 327-5252.

• Goodman, Rivendell and Serendipity theaters team up with Teatro Luna, Babes With Blades and Berwyn's 16th Street Theater for "Taking the Stage: A Celebration of Women Making Theater." The event - featuring performances, panel discussions and workshops examining woman theater artists and the challenges they face - runs Saturday, April 4, through April 19. For information contact (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org; (773) 334-7728 or rivendelltheatre.net; 16thstreettheater.org; (773) 880-0016 or babeswithblades.org.

• Previews begin Saturday, April 4, at Goodman Theatre for the world premiere of "Ghostwritten," Naomi Lizuka's "Rumpelstiltskin"-inspired play about a woman who makes a bargain with a mysterious stranger who seeks her out 20 years later and demands she repay her debt. The production opens Monday, April 13, at 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago. (312) 443-3800 or goodmantheatre.org.

• A six-piece jazz band accompanies the latest production from Adventure Stage Chicago, "Katrina: The Girl Who Wanted Her Name Back," about a young girl's struggle to survive the hurricane that shares her name and reclaim her city's spirit. The family-friendly production opens Sunday, April 5, at Vittum Theater, 1012 N. Noble St., Chicago. (773) 342-4141 or adventurestage.org.

• Chicago Shakespeare Theater concludes its season with "Twelfth Night," Shakespeare's comedy of mistaken identities and mismatched lovers. Guest director Josie Rourke sets the production on a pier, which set designer Lucy Osborne provides by filling the CST stage with 7,000 gallons of water. The production opens Sunday, April 5, at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. (312) 595-5600 or chicagoshakes.com.

• Lookingglass Theatre hosts a benefit for its new play initiative gglassworks, Sunday, April 5, at Water Tower Water Works, 821 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $100 and include a preshow reception and a performance. (312) 337-0665 or lookingglasstheatre.org.

• Actors Matt Dillon and Estelle Parsons, Steppenwolf Theatre artistic director Martha Lavey, novelists Russell Banks, Barry Gifford and Don DeLillo and editor Dan Simon will participate in an evening of dramatic readings celebrating late Chicago author Nelson Algren on Monday, April 6. "Nelson Algren Life: The 100th Birthday Celebration," takes place at Steppenwolf Theatre, 1650 N. Halsted St., Chicago. (312) 335-1650 or steppenwolf.org.

• Bare Boned Theatre premieres the third season of "The Ville," an original live soap opera centered on gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight and trans-gendered characters, opening Monday, April 6, at Mary's Attic, 5400 N. Clark St., Chicago. (773) 856-0470 or barebonedtheatre.org.

• No Use For A Name, also known as the n.u.f.a.n. ensemble, perform "Monodogs of War XI: Mon-Obama-Logues" Tuesday, April 7, at the Holiday Club, 4000 N. Sheridan Road, Chicago. Teams comprised of an actor and a writer get a line from Barack Obama's inaugural speech from which they must craft a 35-minute monologue. (773) 282-0344 or nufanensemble.com.

• A typographer, stenographer and geographer explore how work impacts our lives and relationships in "The Typographer's Dream," the second production from 5th Floor Productions. The show runs Monday, April 6 to April 28, at Stage Left Theatre, 3408 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago. See 5fp.org for more information.

• "Levee James," about a couple reunited when their best friend becomes the victim of a hate crime, opens Thursday, April 9, at eta Creative Arts Foundation, 7558 S. South Chicago Ave., Chicago. (773) 752-3955 or etacreativearts.org.